The Atlantic Slave Trade and The African Diaspora (706-718)
Foundations of trade
- Africa
Slavery became common in Africa after Bantu migrants spread agriculture to all parts of the continent
Most African slaves came from being prisoners of war, although others were criminals or delinquents
Owner could make slaves do anything
They had the power to punish and sell however they saw fit
Slaves usually worked far from their homes as farmers
Some were administrators, soldiers, or highly placed individuals
Some owners made slaves part of the family so they could be free and have money after their owners died
Human Cargoes
- The early slave trade
Many slave traders brought slaves to Portuguese too
Planters from São Tome called for large quantities of slaves.
By 1520, 2,000 slaves went there every year
Spanish explorers and conquerors also looked for slaves to work in American and Europe
In 1518 the first shipment of slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean set sail
In the Caribbean they worker on sugar plantations
In 1520 slaves travelled to Mexico
- Triangular Trade
Ships always went in 3 legs
1st leg = horses
2nd leg = slaves
Slaves were sometimes taken right from their homes
Was always inhumane
- The Middle Passage
Held in holding pens until sold
Transatlantic journey on the ships below deck (what you think of as slavery)
Usually could sit upright but not always
Never could stand
Tried to revolt or starve
Crew plied the mouths open of those who tried to starve
4-6 weeks
50% mortality rate
¼ did not survive overall
MS
The Impact of Slave Trade in Africa
Volume of the Slave Trade
2,000 slaves left Africa in 15th-16th century; 17th century rose to 20,000/year as Europeans settled in western hemisphere; 18th century: 50,000/year; highest point over 100,000 in 1780's
overall Atlantic slave trade brought over 12 million slaves to western hemisphere
4 million or more died in captivity or resisting seizure before arriva
Rwanda, Bugunda (on great lakes); Masai, Tukana (East Africa) escaped slave trade
resisted and distant from major slave ports
some societies flourished from slave trade
took captives and sold slaves to Europeans
coordinated trade with European merchants from port cities and states (Asante, Dahomey, Oyo)
Social Effects of the Slave Trade
suffered serious losses
16 million from Atlantic slave trade
several million from Islamic slave trade also during this er
those close to port cities most vulnerable and weak
slavers preferred young men (14-35 yrs) distorted sex ratios: 18th century 2/3 Angola female-had to take on roles of men
Political Effects of the Slave Trade
17th century violence broke out over increasingly exchanging slaves for European firearms
Dahomey traded for firearms, captured more slaves and traded them for more firearms- became slave-raiding force
not all societies took advantage like Dahomey
FC
The African Diaspora: the dispersal of African peoples and their descendents
A. Plantation Societies
Spanish started the first plantations in 1516 in Hispaniola (present day Haiti/Dominican Republic)
by the early 17th century, English, Dutch, French, and Portugese plantations
1. Cash Crops
sugar, tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee
maintained food for locals, but the purpose of the plantations were to profit from production and export of commercial crops
2. Regional Differences
Caribbean and South America
many slaves caught disease and died from them (malaria and yellow fever)
brutal working conditions, low nutrition and sanitation
mostly male slaves; no reproduction for slave families
North America
less than 5% of slaves came here
better living conditions than in the Caribbean
mostly female slaves; allowed for encouragement to produce a family of slaves
3. Resistance to slavery
slaves would work slowly for owners' gardens, but quickly in their own gardens
sabotaged plantation equipment or work routines
sometimes would even run away
Maroons: runaway slaves; built own self-governing communities, raided nearby plantations, organized slaves into effective military forces
4. Slave Revolts: most dramatic form of resistance
often resulted in widespread death and destruction
almost never resulted in abolishing slavery
Saint-Dominigue slaves: group of slaves working for the French who succeeded in abolishing slavery as an insistution in 1703. This community later seperated themselves from France and became Haiti (1804)
5. Slavery and Economic Development
slave labor cultivated many of the crops and mined many of the minerals that made their way around the global trade network during the early modern era
JB
The Making of African-American Cultural Traditions
African and Creole Languages
European languages were dominant in w. hemisphere; African languages influenced communication
slaves from many tribes; lacked common language
African slaves often spoke a creole language
language was developed from blending of several African and European languages
African-American Religions
some slaves were already Christian or converted to Christianity
most African/African-Americans practiced a syncretic faith that made room for African interests and traditions
ex: Vodou in Haiti, Santeria in Cuba, Candomble in Brazil
all the religions drew inspiration from Christianity
met in parish churches, wanted personal salvation, made use of Christian items like holy water, candles, statues
associated African deities with Christian saints; relied on African rituals - drumming, dancing, sacrificing animals
believed in spirits and supernatural powers - magic, witchcraft, sorcery
African-American Cultural Traditions
slaves introduced African foods to the Caribbean and American societies
introduced rice cultivation to tropical/subtropical regions
built houses, fashioned clay pots, wove grass baskets
The End of Slave Trade and Abolition of Slavery
Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797)
Olaudah Equiano
American and French revolutions encouraged ideals of freedom and equality
some slaves tried to do the same by writing books that showed the brutality of slavery
most notable was Olaudah Equiano
1789 - published an autobiography detailing his experiences as a slave and a free man
captured at 10 years old, worked as slave in West Indies, Virginia, Pennsylvania, bought his freedom in 1766
book became best seller, traveled throughout British Isles giving speeches
The Economic Costs of Slavery
slave labor didn't come cheap
revolts made slavery expensive - had to maintain expensive military forces
Caribbean sugar production led to declining prices, African slave traders and European merchants had to increase prices for slaves
manufacturing industries became more profitable than slave labor
Africa became a market rather than a source of slave labor
End of Slave Trade
1803 - Denmark abolished trade in slaves and other lands eventually followed
1807 - Great Britain
1808 - United States
1814 - France
1817 - Netherlands
1845 - Spain
didn't abolish slavery itself; as long as plantation slavery continued, slaves were still shipped across the Atlantic
British naval squadrons helped stop this by patrolling the west coast of Africa conducting search and seizure operations
The Abolition of Slavery
emancipation of all slaves came in 1833 in British colonies
1848 in French colonies
1865 in United States
1886 in Cuba
1888 in Brazil
slavery officially no longer existed but millions of people still live in various forms of servitude today
The Atlantic Slave Trade and The African Diaspora (706-718)
Foundations of trade
- Africa
- Slavery became common in Africa after Bantu migrants spread agriculture to all parts of the continent
- Most African slaves came from being prisoners of war, although others were criminals or delinquents
- Owner could make slaves do anything
- They had the power to punish and sell however they saw fit
- Slaves usually worked far from their homes as farmers
- Some were administrators, soldiers, or highly placed individuals
- Some owners made slaves part of the family so they could be free and have money after their owners died
Human Cargoes- The early slave trade
- Many slave traders brought slaves to Portuguese too
- Planters from São Tome called for large quantities of slaves.
- By 1520, 2,000 slaves went there every year
- Spanish explorers and conquerors also looked for slaves to work in American and Europe
- In 1518 the first shipment of slaves from West Africa to the Caribbean set sail
- In the Caribbean they worker on sugar plantations
- In 1520 slaves travelled to Mexico
- Triangular Trade- Ships always went in 3 legs
- 1st leg = horses
- 2nd leg = slaves
- Slaves were sometimes taken right from their homes
- Was always inhumane
- The Middle PassageMS
The Impact of Slave Trade in Africa
- Volume of the Slave Trade
- 2,000 slaves left Africa in 15th-16th century; 17th century rose to 20,000/year as Europeans settled in western hemisphere; 18th century: 50,000/year; highest point over 100,000 in 1780's
- overall Atlantic slave trade brought over 12 million slaves to western hemisphere
- 4 million or more died in captivity or resisting seizure before arriva
- Rwanda, Bugunda (on great lakes); Masai, Tukana (East Africa) escaped slave trade
- resisted and distant from major slave ports
- some societies flourished from slave trade
- took captives and sold slaves to Europeans
- coordinated trade with European merchants from port cities and states (Asante, Dahomey, Oyo)
- Social Effects of the Slave Trade
- suffered serious losses
- 16 million from Atlantic slave trade
- several million from Islamic slave trade also during this er
- those close to port cities most vulnerable and weak
- slavers preferred young men (14-35 yrs) distorted sex ratios: 18th century 2/3 Angola female-had to take on roles of men
- Political Effects of the Slave Trade
- not all societies took advantage like Dahomey
FC17th century violence broke out over increasingly exchanging slaves for European firearms
Dahomey traded for firearms, captured more slaves and traded them for more firearms- became slave-raiding force
The African Diaspora: the dispersal of African peoples and their descendents
A. Plantation Societies- Spanish started the first plantations in 1516 in Hispaniola (present day Haiti/Dominican Republic)
- by the early 17th century, English, Dutch, French, and Portugese plantations
1. Cash Crops- sugar, tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee
- maintained food for locals, but the purpose of the plantations were to profit from production and export of commercial crops
2. Regional Differences- Caribbean and South America
- many slaves caught disease and died from them (malaria and yellow fever)
- brutal working conditions, low nutrition and sanitation
- mostly male slaves; no reproduction for slave families
- North America
- less than 5% of slaves came here
- better living conditions than in the Caribbean
- mostly female slaves; allowed for encouragement to produce a family of slaves
3. Resistance to slavery- slaves would work slowly for owners' gardens, but quickly in their own gardens
- sabotaged plantation equipment or work routines
- sometimes would even run away
- Maroons: runaway slaves; built own self-governing communities, raided nearby plantations, organized slaves into effective military forces
4. Slave Revolts: most dramatic form of resistance- often resulted in widespread death and destruction
- almost never resulted in abolishing slavery
- Saint-Dominigue slaves: group of slaves working for the French who succeeded in abolishing slavery as an insistution in 1703. This community later seperated themselves from France and became Haiti (1804)
5. Slavery and Economic Development- slave labor cultivated many of the crops and mined many of the minerals that made their way around the global trade network during the early modern era
JBThe Making of African-American Cultural Traditions
The End of Slave Trade and Abolition of Slavery
HT